100 Spanish Verbs Face-Off (Part 1)

[A] to appear | This verb literally means "to appear" and shares roots with English "apparent." Spanish speakers often use it for supernatural appearances - "El fantasma apareció" (The ghost appeared). Like most -ecer verbs, it adds a 'z' before the 'c' in first person: "aparezco."

[B] to bring | From Latin "trahere" (to drag), this irregular verb means bringing something toward the speaker. Its first person "traigo" influenced modern slang - in some countries, "¿Qué traes?" literally means "What do you bring?" but colloquially asks "What's up with you?"

[A] to die | This stem-changing verb (o→ue) comes from Latin "mori" and gave English "mortal" and "mortuary." In Spanish culture, "morirse de risa" (dying of laughter) is much more common than its English equivalent, reflecting the language's love for dramatic expressions.

[B] to work | Derived from Latin "tripaliare" (to torture with a tripalium device), this verb's dark etymology reflects how ancient Romans viewed labor. Modern Spanish speakers joke that Monday's "trabajar" still feels like medieval torture!

[A] to explain | This verb requires a spelling change (c→qu) before 'e': "expliqué" (I explained). It's often paired with "me" to mean "I understand" - "Me explico" literally means "I explain myself" but implies "That makes sense to me now."

[B] to follow | This boot verb (e→i) means both physical following and continuing. Instagram didn't exist when Spanish was formed, but "seguir" perfectly adapted to mean "to follow" on social media, showing how old verbs gain new digital lives.

[C] to listen | Unlike English "hear" vs "listen," Spanish distinguishes "oír" (perceive sound) from "escuchar" (pay attention). Cuban salsa music popularized "¡Escucha!" as a call to dancers, making this verb synonymous with musical attention.

[D] to divide | While it means "to divide/split," this verb also means "to leave/depart" in formal contexts. French bread lovers note: "partir el pan" (break bread) shares etymology with French "partir," both from Latin "partire."

[A] to begin | This stem-changer (e→ie) literally means "to put your piece in" from "pieza" (piece). Spanish has two common verbs for "begin" - empezar (more casual) and comenzar (more formal), like English "start" vs "commence."

[A] to finish | From Latin "terminus" (boundary), this regular verb gave English "terminate" and "terminal." Spanish students love that it's completely regular - no tricks, just standard -ar endings throughout!

[C] to speak | The most regular of regular -ar verbs, teachers use "hablar" as the model for conjugation. Fun fact: "hablar por los codos" (talk through your elbows) means to talk excessively - Spanish's creative alternative to "talk your ear off."

[A] to enter | Unlike English, Spanish uses "en" after this verb: "entrar en la casa" not "entrar la casa." The phrase "entrar en calor" doesn't mean entering heat, but rather "warming up" physically or socially.

[A] to give | This tiny verb packs irregularity - "doy" (I give) is one of only two one-syllable present tense forms in Spanish (the other is "voy"). "Dar la lata" (give the can) mysteriously means "to annoy someone."

[B] to direct | This verb gets a spelling change (g→j) before 'o' and 'a' to preserve the soft 'g' sound: "dirijo" (I direct). Movie buffs note: Spanish film directors are "directores," but orchestra conductors also "dirigen."

[A] to take | While meaning "to take," in Latin America it's the standard verb for drinking: "tomar café" (drink coffee). This regional difference surprises Spaniards, who prefer "beber" for drinking.

[D] to introduce | Meaning "to introduce/present," this verb creates the reflexive "presentarse" (introduce oneself). Spanish etiquette tip: always "presentarse" at social gatherings - it's considered rude not to introduce yourself formally.

[A] to consider | A friend to English speakers, this cognate works almost identically in both languages. Medieval Spanish philosophers loved this verb so much that "considerando" became a formal way to introduce legal arguments.

[B] to treat | "Tratar de" means "to try to" while "tratar a" means "to treat someone." This dual meaning creates the business term "trato hecho" (deal made), literally "treatment done."

[C] to reach | From Arabic "al-kanz" (the treasure), this verb evolved from "reaching treasure" to simply "reaching." It undergoes a z→c change before 'e': "alcancé" (I reached).

[D] to do | This highly irregular verb (hago, haces, hace...) appears in weather expressions: "hace frío" (it's cold), literally "it makes cold." Spanish speakers joke that "hacer" does everything - it's the Swiss Army knife of verbs!

[A] to achieve | False friend alert! This doesn't mean "realize" (that's "darse cuenta") but "achieve/carry out." This trips up English speakers constantly - "realizar un sueño" means achieving a dream, not realizing you're dreaming!

[B] to read | This verb has a unique quirk: in past tenses, 'i' between vowels becomes 'y': "leyó" not "leió." Ancient Romans would recognize this - it comes from Latin "legere," which also gave us "legible."

[C] to study | Combined with subjects, it doesn't need an article: "estudio medicina" not "estudio la medicina." University students worldwide share the phrase "estudiar para el examen" - some experiences are universal!

[D] to get | Meaning "to achieve/manage to," this verb implies effort overcome. "Lograr" suggests success after struggle, while "conseguir" is more neutral. Victory sounds sweeter with "¡Lo logré!" (I did it!)

[A] to help | From Latin "adjuvare" (to assist), this verb takes "a" before people: "ayudar a María." The proverb "Ayudar al que lo necesita" reflects Spanish culture's emphasis on community support.

[B] to take out | This verb gains 'qu' before 'e' to preserve the hard 'c': "saqué." Beyond "taking out," it means getting grades ("sacar buenas notas"), taking photos ("sacar fotos"), and even dancing ("sacar a bailar")!

[C] to fall | Irregular in first person ("caigo"), this verb creates personality descriptions with "bien/mal": "Me cae bien" means "I like them" (they fall well on me). Autumn in Spanish is literally "the fall" too!

[D] to accept | Latin-built “take toward,” and a regular -ar verb for everyday deals: aceptar una oferta/unas disculpas/las condiciones; unlike recibir, it’s about agreeing, not merely receiving.

[A] to use | The dressier twin of usar—common in manuals and academia, while usar rules casual speech; handy frame: utilizar algo para + infinitivo (utilizo la app para estudiar).

[A] to understand | An e→ie stem-changer (entiendo, entiendes, entiende), so not fully regular; often interchangeable with comprender, though comprender can feel deeper/formal, and entender de means “to know about” (entiendo de vinos).